Magnolia Park
by Nina-Satine
Summary: A year later in the same park, and on the same swing, Harry gets a short visit from a friend. To be read after Little Whinging.


To be read after Little Whining.

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It was the summer before fifth year, Harry had just left number 4 Privet Drive in a huff. With each new thought that entered his mind he grew frustrated and angry. His aunt and uncle wouldn't let him watch the news, everyone was keeping secrets from him, and worst of all he was stuck in the house that he hated. So here he found himself, sitting on the only unbroken swing, in the empty park, staring moodily at the ground. Not long had passed when a voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Harry? Harry Potter?" Harry lifted his head up towards the gate to see a familiar face.

"Sarah?"

"Hi." She responded; her entire face lit up in a smile. Her hair was still long and dark, but there was something entirely different about her. Regardless, Harry couldn't help but smile back. Even if it was a small smile, and it wasn't someone he was quite expecting to see, having at least one friend was enough for the time. He watched as she opened the gate and walked through before letting it close behind her.

Harry's smile faltered and his face scrunched in mild confusion.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked stopping in her tracks.

"Nothing," Harry started before glancing at the closed gate behind her, "well, it's just that. I'm pretty certain that the gate was locked." Sarah turned to look back at the gate, before turning her attention back to Harry.

"If the gate was locked how did you get in?" Sarah asked raising a brow at him. Harry shifted a little on the swing before deciding to answer.

"I jumped over it." Harry said matter-of-factly.

"Hmm." Sarah hummed before finding herself a spot on dry grass to sit on in front of Harry. For a moment, the two said nothing to each other. Harry let his eyes wonder, he would look at the ground, the chain on the swing, his fingernails, and glance quickly at Sarah before finding something else to look at. Sarah on the other hand never took her eyes off him.

"You look different." Sarah said breaking the silence.

"Different? How?" Harry asked finally allowing himself to make and keep eye contact.

"Well besides looking a little older, you just look, I don't know, sad. Like something big happened since the last time I saw you." She finished.

"Well you look different too." Harry sputtered out.

"I do not. Do I?" Sarah asked. Harry thought that there was a glow about her, she seemed ethereal, but he didn't know how to word it without it coming off completely bonkers.

"I don't know, it's like there's something magical about you." Sarah's eyes widened and she quickly turned her head, her cheeks pinked a little and she brushed her hair out of her face as to draw attention away from that fact.

"There's nothing magical about me." She said with a smile and a scoff. The way she brushed off the thought made Harry wonder if perhaps there was more to his friend then he knew. He longed for someone else to know about the magical world.

"Sarah would you happen to be..." Before Harry could finish a loud screech caught their attention. A barn owl was perched on the fence looking at them. At the same time, they both stood up.

"I can explain." Rushed out of Harry's mouth. At the same time as Sarah saying, "I think I need to leave." They both turned to look at each other confusion clear on their faces.

"Explain what?" Sarah asked, "Why do you need to leave?" Harry asked. Once again their words collided as they simultaneously spoke.

"Sarah," Harry asked leaning towards her, "are you, like me?" He finished in a voice barely above a whisper. Before Sarah could say anything, voices were heard off in the distance, Harry turned towards the voices knowing it was Dudley and his crew. When he turned back Sarah was walking towards the gate, as she reached it she turned back to him, she was chewing on her bottom lip.

"Next time I see you, we'll talk. Next time for sure, Harry Potter." With that she smiled at him, and then she was off. Harry sat back down on the swing hearing the voice of his cousin getting closer. The owl was nowhere in sight.

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A/N: This was a short meeting for Sarah and Harry. This takes place right before he and Dudley are attacked by Dementors, and Jareth is following Sarah around, not really liking that she has made friends with a person who calls trouble to him. Next time Sarah and Harry will have more time to figure things out.

Thank you for stopping by, and Happy Readings.


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